Media reports say Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday ordered another 160,000 Russian citizens be called up to serve in the military during the spring conscription campaign.

The decree, which was reported by Interfax news agency and also published on the government website for legal announcements, says conscription applies to all citizens aged between 18 and 30 and covers the period from April to July.

The official statement also said that “soldiers, sailors, sergeants and non-commissioned officers whose conscripted military service has expired” will be discharged from military service.

TASS, citing Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff’s Main Organizational and Mobilization Department Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, reports that a third of spring draft conscripts will be sent to training centers to gain special military skills. 

The Russian military traditionally holds conscription twice a year, once in spring and again in autumn.

According to TASS, Russia’s spring military campaign last year involved 150,000 conscripts compared to 147,000 in 2023 and 134,500 in 2022. The growth is reportedly attributed to the implementation of Putin’s decrees on the stage-by-stage increase in the size of the Russian army.

The Russian army reportedly comprised about 1 million service members in early 2022.  During three years, the Russian army’s numerical strength was raised to 1.5 million service members.

Meanwhile, Politico says Ukraine warned the Kremlin is preparing for a massive new military offensive.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly claims Russia is dragging out the peace process as it is preparing a massive new offensive to grab more Ukrainian land before actual peace talks.